MINOT—Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall met today with North Dakota’s senate delegation and members of Task Force 21 (TF-21) after personally reviewing the missions and operations at Minot Air Force Base. U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND, stated in his press release about the discussions, “The servicemembers stationed at the Minot Air Force Base play a key role in our nation’s defense, supporting two legs of our nuclear triad, and Secretary Kendall’s visit provides him the opportunity to see their good work firsthand.”
Sen. Hoeven held a press conference this afternoon, along with Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, and three members of TF-21, TF-21 Chair and Minot Alderman Mark Jantzer, State Sen. Randy Burckhard, R-Dis. 5, Minot, and Minot Mayor Shaun Sipma, to relate the importance of visiting with Secretary Kendall.
“Everybody turns out, and they’re there and creating those relationships all the way up to the Secretary of the Air Force,” said Sen. Hoeven. “That is the magic of Minot. That is special.” Sen. Hoeven added, “That human element we can never forget.”
Sen. Cramer explained that Secretary Kendall clearly sees nuclear modernization as a high priority. “For him then to choose Minot as one of three bases he was going to stop at just before Christmas, on his way home for Christmas, shows you just how important it really is to him, and that's important to all of us,” Sen. Cramer stated.
Jantzer likewise thanked North Dakota’s two senators and U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-ND, for joining TF-21 in meeting with Secretary Kendall and 5th Bomb Wing Commander Col. Michal Walters last evening. Jantzer said, “When all three members of our congressional delegation show up, it makes an impression because the senior leaders know that we’re all one team.”
Senators Hoeven and Cramer described how in the senate they are able to “frame” the importance of North Dakota’s contributions to the nation’s defense capabilities in their respective positions on the Senate Defense Appropriations and Armed Services Committees. The recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which both senators contributed heavily to its passing, authorizes funding for (among other things):
Sen. Hoeven explains the critical importance of nuclear deterrence at today’s press conference. [Video: Greg Demme/The Dakotan]
Sen. Hoeven emphasized the arguments for maintaining a strong nuclear defense capability. “Sometimes in D.C., particularly with this administration, they tend to talk about…‘We’ll just have the best conventional force. We’ll invest in the conventional force, and we don’t need to make all these investments in the nuclear triad.’ That is an absolutely false argument.” Sen. Hoeven continued, “If somebody else thinks that their nuclear force is on par or superior to ours, then they have a rationale to escalate beyond conventional capabilities…. They have to know that our nuclear capability is superior, so they never mess with us.”
Burckhard further explained, “When people say, ‘So why do we need [the GBSD], and why would we spend so much money to upgrade that?’ I go, ‘Well, it’s analogous to a parachute. If you don’t have one when you need one, you’re probably not going to ever need it again.’”
“Minot is probably the most well-known civic leader group in Air Force Global Strike Command. We are everywhere.” State Sen. Randy Burckhard, R-Dis. 5, Minot
Several of the speakers noted that the tight relationship enjoyed between the Minot Air Force Base and the Minot community should not be taken for granted. Burckhard said, “Minot is probably the most well-known civic leader group in Air Force Global Strike Command. We are everywhere.”
Mayor Sipma agreed. “To be on a first-name basis with four-star generals that are not only serving but retired and who are still instrumental in a lot of the policy making is exceptionally important,” he said.
Sen. Hoeven added, “[Four-star] General [Anthony] Cotton, who is the head of Global Strike Command, not only served here at the Minot Air Force Base, his wife is from the area. Those ties matter.”
That special relationship between base and local community Sen. Cramer pointed out as well. “We [in North Dakota] presume that everyone does the same for their airmen and other military personnel. Not true,” Sen. Cramer concluded. “It makes our lobbying job a lot easier when the lobbyists are not hired guns but rather the local leadership.”
Watch the entire press conference on The Dakotan’s YouTube channel or Facebook page.
